Today, no stories about porcelain. Today I am letting you in a major change, the beginning of a new chapter. After nearly 25 years of life in London I will be moving to France in March 2026. As you are reading this I am probably eating a croissant in my new house in a tiny hamlet in the Limousine, in South-Central France, not far North from Limoges, the French city of porcelain. I haven't moved permanently yet, but will spend a few weeks here to get everything ready to move.

Here in the UK it is now the darkest of winter - I know, I know, in Australia and New Zealand you are probably sweltering in summer! But in these damp, dank days with very little sunlight, short days and long nights, we need some romance, don't we? And that's why we have Derby figures. The Derby Porcelain Factory was famous for its very fine and imaginative figures, often inspired by the German factories. Porcelain figures were very popular in the 18th Century, and were used

The last few weeks I have been clearing my shelves, and boxes, and hidden spaces under tables and on top of cabinets. I've been finding all kinds of treasures that I had either forgotten or had not had the time to process yet, and today I am releasing a fantastic large stack of plates made by H&R Daniel, whom I wrote an article about a few years ago and dedicated last week's blog to . Henry Daniel was one of the most talented porcelain makers in 19th Century Britain, and I h

A few years ago I wrote an article about Henry Daniel , one of the most talented porcelain makers in 19th Century Britain, and as I have quite a few items by this maker new up in the shop , I thought to bring the story again - I always find it one of the most fascinating stories among all the porcelain makers. (credit for the article goes to Homes & Antiques magazine) If you love pieces by H&R Daniel, you are living in the right era. For many years the pieces were unrecognise

Every now and then I stumble upon a piece that truly stands out, and today I am showing you a pair of figures that I particularly love . They were made by the Bow Porcelain Factory in about 1760 and they are called "Liberty & Matrimony". These figures were used in a very different way than we would expect; they weren't just decorations on a shelf or in a cabinet, the way your old auntie perhaps had a porcelain figure in her glass cabinet. No, these figures had a very practica

I've always had a thing for orphaned cups - that is, teacups or coffee cups that have lost their saucers. They are beautiful and useful, and importantly, they make wonderful gifts! I have many friends who have a little cup somewhere on a shelf; some of them use them often, others wouldn't dare touch them in fear of breaking them, but enjoy their company. And you know what? However much many men wouldn't want to be associated with porcelain trinkets, I have found that many of

As I have been busy with a project and been travelling a lot in recent months, I hope you forgive me for repeating a post from a while ago that was appreciated by many. It is, after all, the perfect season for it. This beautiful item has been standing on my shelf for a while, but I never tire of looking at it (and have kept the odd receipt and rubber band inside while waiting for a new forever home...). Made with so much skill and care, it still looks fresh and new every sing

I have been writing about various porcelain artists in the last year, and today is the turn of Moses Webster, who became well known for his work at the Derby factory in the early 19th Century. Webster was a fine young man who was trained in the style of the renowned painter William Billingsley at Nantgarw. He then worked at the Worcester factory for a few years (between 1821 and 1825), and then went on to Derby, where he worked until his death in 1870. You can see his work o

How stunning are these flowers?? This wonderful dish was made by Derby around 1814 and painted by William “Quaker” Pegg, one of the greatest porcelain flower painters of all time. I am so thrilled to be able to offer a piece of his work, which is rare due to his small output. Pegg’s flowers are large, naturalistic and exuberant. Their extraordinary character did not come by accident; he was a truly unusual and remarkable artist and to him, flowers were not just flowers. Pegg

This week you are getting a shorter blog post, as I have been extremely busy with a new project, which I hope to be writing about soon......